1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a braille cell improved in its maintenance and manufacture and, more particularly, it relates to a braille cell used as a personal electronic terminal to transmit information, without using any sheet of paper, to persons who have trouble with their eyes.
When the conventional braille cell of this kind is often used, tactile pins which are most often touched by fingers and those portions of a member which enclose these tactile pins become severely worn and dirty. When the tactile pins and the member become unduly worn and dirty, they must be replaced with new ones. In addition, piezoelectric element reeds which make the tactile pins operative are relatively often broken and this also requires them to be replaced with new ones.
As disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Disclosure Sho 62-71673, European Patent No. 0237090 and U.S. Pat. No. 4758165, the braille cell includes the tactile pins provided on free ends of the piezoelectric element reeds and projected outside from a finger scanning section at the tips thereof. In the case of these finger scanning section and tactile pins, dust adheres to their exposed portions and to pins-inserting holes as well. In addition, they are made dirty by greasy fingers when they are unceasingly and directly touched by fingers to touch-read braille characters. However, the conventional tactile section is formed integral to a base body of the braille cell. This makes it impossible to detach the tactile section from the base body while holding the tactile pins therein, or wash the tactile section as a unit and to exchange the tactile section with a new one.
Piezoelectric element reeds disclosed by Japanese Utility Model Disclosure Sho 62-71673 are directly bonded to the base body by adhesive. This makes it difficult to exchange the piezoelectric ,element reeds with new ones. A support member disclosed in European Patent No. 0237090 and U.S. Pat. No. 4758165 is U-shaped to hold piezoelectric element reeds in its curved inner face and is bonded to a frame by adhesive. This also makes it difficult to exchange the piezoelectric element reeds with new ones. These conventional braille cells make it difficult to exchange the piezoelectric element reeds with new ones, and the whole braille cell must be sometimes exchanged with a new one to exchange the piezoelectric element reeds with new ones.